Windows 10

When Microsoft launched Windows 8, desktop users were taken aback by the strange new Start Screen (it wasn't even just a menu back then). Not only were their programs presented in a grid with large colored boxes, some of those boxes would regularly flip to show some information gathered from the app or from an online source. These Live Tiles may have been a hit on the Windows Phone but they have been maligned ever since they appeared on the desktop. Microsoft may finally be dropping those tiles but the replacement might not please Windows desktop users either.

If there were a way to make Microsoft's efforts with software for the Surface Duo work on a device like the LG V60 ThinQ, it'd be great. The latest leak of the Microsoft Surface Duo shows a device that's on the cutting edge of feature functionality. It'll be like a book, opening with a pair of displays that run software that'll function sort of like a tablet, sort of like a phone, sort of like a laptop - but it's not out yet. This device is leaking with a steady drip, drip, drip.

5G is big in mobile but that's not the only place it'll be in, naturally. Desktop and laptop computers are also fair game but only if they have the hardware to slurp from that high-speed network. Most will use external peripherals but Qualcomm is, of course, pushing a new breed of Always On, Always Connected PCs that this year will gain the ability to tap into 5G networks. And to reassure future buyers that they will be getting their money's worth, the chipmaker is listing which network operators will be supporting Snapdragon-powered 5G PCs when they launch this year.

Although it hasn't always gone smoothly, Windows is undergoing a period of change. It isn't just the way that Windows 10 is being developed and delivered, broken as that may be, Microsoft is also in the process of changing the operating system's literal image. It developed its new Fluent Design language which has started to appear in bits and pieces of Windows 10 UI. Now the company has started swapping out old its old Windows 8 era icons for something with more color and a little more depth.

Microsoft may have repeatedly botched its attempts at bringing Windows to the mobile space but there will always be people who still believe in that vision in one form or another. There will also always be companies who believe the same or at least capitalize on the hopes and dreams of Windows fans. After a short period of silence, one company has suddenly jumped into the spotlight with a claim that's too good to be true: a modern smartphone that not only runs Windows 10 on ARM but even Android beside it.

A couple of years ago, Microsoft rolled out an app for Windows 10 called Your Phone. Aiming for deeper integration between PCs and smartphones in a post-Windows Phone age, Your Phone has seen a lot of features added to it since it was first introduced. An upcoming feature may very well one of the biggest yet: Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging.

Last year's last major Windows 10 update was a relatively small one and, save for a few bugs, was relatively less problematic than previous feature updates. That was as intended since Microsoft wanted to dedicate the 2H19 update to bug fixes and polish. That doesn't mean, however, that showstopping bugs won't pop up in other minor updates, which is precisely the case with update KB4532693. And it isn't just some minor bug or annoyance but one that may even cause users to lose some files for good.

It might have been easily overshadowed by Samsung's Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Z Flip reveals but Microsoft also had something sizzling for its own developers. At its Developer Day event, the company finally launched the much-awaited and much-needed Windows 10X emulator to get development rolling for the dual-screen Surface Neo. Apparently, it also had a pair of videos to whet developers' appetites about what they can accomplish with more than one screen.

Microsoft released a developer-aimed bit of software that'll allow users to develop apps and test apps with Windows 10X. With the Microsoft Emulator and tools update released today, users can get their hands on an emulator that allows changes between different device postures. According to Microsoft, this is an "early preview of the experience", and the suite will work on 64-bit Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education (and/or Windows Insider Preview build 10.0.19555 or later) right this minute.

The large amount of data we accumulate or access these days has made traditional organization and retrieval methods like files and folders a little less convenient. Search is the hot thing in computing, be it on the Web or even just on your computer. Windows 10 users, however, were baffled when their desktop's all-powerful and essential desktop search suddenly showed them nothing and it's all probably because of an error on a remote Microsoft Bing server.

Back in August, Samsung revealed a new addition to its line of Galaxy laptops: the Galaxy Book S. After a few months of relative silence, Samsung today announced that the Galaxy Book S has gone up for pre-order. When it launches next month, it'll be available at Microsoft stores and through Samsung's website, but we'll also see it launch at various carriers too because of its LTE connectivity.

Windows isn't exactly an easy operating system to customize and bend to your will, which is why there is a market for third-party software that offer power user tools ranging from organizing windows to launching programs. Microsoft might be putting some of those out of business with the revival of its PowerToys suite, one of which will soon offer a more powerful way for users to search for things and run all sorts of commands in a single place.